MANSFIELD - Ohio 39 north of Mansfield was divided by orange cones Monday when motorists embarked on their morning commute.

Construction crews will grind pavement along more than seven miles of Ohio 39 from Country Club Drive in Mansfield to Taylortown Road just south of Shelby, according to Kaitlyn Thompson, public information officer for the Ohio Department of Transportation.

"Right now, we are just working on the resurfacing portion," Thompson said as the project began Monday. "It's not just resurfacing, though."

The $3.3 million bid for the project was awarded to Shelly and Sands Inc., based out of Zanesville.

"The completion date is October 2018," Thompson said.

Commuters should expect periodic delays in travel over the next three months, Thompson said.

"They will have it reduced down to one lane, but there will be flaggers maintaining traffic," Thompson said. "It will be intermittent — it will come and go with what they’re working on."

Once crews finish chipping up the old pavement, new asphalt will be laid.

"We’re going to be doing pavement markings," Thompson said. "We’re freshening up the painted stripes on the road and putting new reflectors back between the lanes."

A bridge that crosses the railroad tracks between Cairns Road and Gfrer Road — just north of the North Lexington-Springmill Road intersection on Ohio 39 — will be repaired during the project.

"They are going to do some structure work, some patching and then reseal the bridge deck," Thompson said.

Guardrail replacement is included in the project plans.

"Whatever they see out there," Thompson said. "It’s just minor sections — it could be a section here and there that are dinged up."

Drivers using the stretch of road should be extra careful over the next few months, according to Major Joe Masi of the Richland County Sheriff's Office.